October 27, 1916. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 817 or Italian Mediterranean ports; and (3) French and Italian houses with buying agents in this country. Also that French and Italian buyers who buy from various exporters or from one only may indicate to the French and Italian committees the exporters from whom they have been in the habit of receiving their supplies, and to whom they wish their present order to be entrusted. Notes from the Coal Fields. [Local Correspondence.] South Wales and Monmouthshire. Absenteeism—Limitation Scheme for the Mediterranean— Difficulties in the French Trade — Alleged Offer of Miners Regarding Wages. The chairman of the French Coal Committee, M. Parent, has made a journey to Cardiff, and conferred with the Coal Exports Committee of that city upon the question of supplies to France. The delays at French ports of late have been very serious, large! v owing to lack of labour; and there has also been a question as to allocation of cargoes to the different ports across the Channel. Another cause of delay has been wagon shortage on the French railways. Prolonged discussion took place, there being an earnest desire to make provision for facilitating exports, and for handling on the other side; and it is understood that in future more detailed particulars will be given as to French requirements—the Cardiff committee being left to deal with the matter of allocation. Following up the statement recently published, the South Wales Coal Owners’ Association has now issued in detail the return upon absenteeism. Mr. Gibson, their secretary, has summarised returns concerning 275 collieries, employing about 130,000 persons underground. The position of affairs has grown worse, the three months ended September 16, which the present returns deal with, being more unsatis- factory than previously. An arrangement had been come to between employers and the Federation that a joint com- mittee should be set up at the different pits to deal with individual cases of absentees, and show at each pithead the number who failed to attend for work; but in only about one-third was this arrangement carried out. Mr. Winstone, acting-president of the South Wales Miners’ Federation, speaking at the district meeting of the Mon- mouthshire Eastern Valleys, contradicted a report that at the National Coal Conference on Wednesday there would be any reference to suspending the Eight Hours Act or to the fixing of wages 'and prices by voluntary arrangement. He said that nothing of this sort could be done finally until the miners’ executive, and probably all the miners in the coal field, had been consulted. They were not averse to con- sidering fixture of wages and prices, provided an adjustment of the general wage rate was agreed upon between the work- men and the employers. As to the reduction of 'absenteeism ' and stereotyped holidays, this he believed wrnuld come under consideration; .but with regard to the suggested employment of women and boys—although that matter had been put on the agenda—-it wTas immediately removed by the owners and workmen’s representatives. At a meeting (one of postal workers) held in Newport, Mr. Winstone said that it was true the miners had received increases of 15s., 18s., or 20s. per week since the war com- menced ; and they wrere going to have more if the employers continued to increase the price of coal. They were prepared to assist in the national interests, but not to assist a few employers to pile up fabulous wealth at the expense of the many. Mr. Winstone further said that -at the outbreak of war the Welsh miners had offered the owners that if they would not increase the price of coal, the miners would rest content with their present wages and not ask for any increase. The miners were then content with the 60 per cent, /above the old standard, and would have remained at that, pro- vided no increase of price took place, and it was for the owners to have accepted that offer. The Eastern Valley miners have received a communication from the local surveyor of taxes stating that the income-tax allowances in respect of the use of naked lights in the dis- trict below Blaenavon would be 15s. per quarter, and 25s. per quarter for tools. In a case where 25 men from the Cwmbran Colliery were summoned at Pontypool on Saturday, it was stated that the Bench would not be called upon to 'adjudicate. The barrister representing the men said there had never been previously a dispute of the kind between the parties, and it was desirable that no bitterness should be created by contesting the matter in court. Adjourned sine die. An important case has come before the High Court, carry- ing back more than a century and a quarter a question of right in respect of w’orking minerals. In the Chancery Division, the question has been argued whether the Powell Duffryn Company, as owners of certain minerals under farm lands near Aberdare, had a right to let down the surface. Action had been entered to recover damages and for an injunction against the company, who alleged that, under a partition deed of 1788, through which they derived their title, the complainant had no right to bring an 'action until after a decision as to whether defendants, as owners of the minerals, were entitled to let down the surface. The court had ordered on July 24 that this question should be tried. For the company, it was urged that in 1788 the land was a large tract of country, and that in the partition deed there was an express provision putting the minerals into the same position as if there had been no partitioning of the surface at all. Plaintiffs contended that no evidence existed that letting down the surface was in contemplation at the time of the execution of the deed. The hearing was adjourned. Since the outbreak of war, the consequent scarcity and high price of imported timber has led to heavy cuttings in the woodland areas of South Wales and Monmouthshire. Home-grown timber has been utilised by the collieries in the district to replace the limited supplies from the Conti- nent. On Saturday Lord Tredegar’s annual sale of timber, larch plantations, and coppice woods constituted a record for the amount and quality of the wood and the total sum realised. The total amount realised by the sale was £10,670. The Police Committee of Glamorgan have had before them a report that the litigation between the county and the Powell Duffryn Company, arising out of the riots of 1910, had been settled. The company had accepted £400 in discharge of their claim against the county, whilst the county have accepted £557 in settlement of their claim against the com- pany. The question of costs in the litigation still remains open. The Newport County Court decided a case in which a collier sued the Oakdale Company for 2s. 9d. per hour extra, on the ground that the work was for cutting and forming a heading—he having been paid only at the rate for working a stall. The total amount of the claim was for £37. The plaintiff’s evidence was that the place where he worked had been driven in for 100 yds., and that he drove it from 10 to 11 ft. wide—whereas a stall was 9 to 10 ft. wide. Coal other than his own was brought to that heading. He had driven the place wider and higher; and admitted, in cross- examination, that he had not been instructed by anyone to do this. Plaintiff’s solicitor described a stall as a place where colliers worked for the purpose of getting out coal, and for no other purpose; but if the place which wTas opened up was used as a passage way for other coal, it ceased to be a stall, and became a heading. In reply to the judge, the plaintiff said that what he had done in widening and raising the place was for his own convenience. Another witness, on plaintiff’s behalf, said that the road had. been used as a continuous avenue for traffic, and therefore should be paid for as a heading. The judge said that, after the plaintiff’s own admission, it was hardly worth wThile proceeding further with the case, for he had made the place wider and higher without receiving instructions, and then had claimed for it at heading rates. His Honour found for the defendant company. Compensation was claimed